Blue theme aims to spread awareness about autism in April

Thursday

Apr 4, 2013 at 12:01 AM

TUSCALOOSA | Autism affects one in 88 people and more than 45,000 people in Alabama, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To increase awareness about the developmental disability and raise money for support programs, blue bows are being hung around Tuscaloosa, light bulbs are being changed to blue and the fountain at Midtown Village will be tinted blue in April in honor of the “Light It Up Blue” campaign and Autism Awareness month.

By Morgan TaylorSpecial to The Tuscaloosa News

TUSCALOOSA | Autism affects one in 88 people and more than 45,000 people in Alabama, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.To increase awareness about the developmental disability and raise money for support programs, blue bows are being hung around Tuscaloosa, light bulbs are being changed to blue and the fountain at Midtown Village will be tinted blue in April in honor of the “Light It Up Blue” campaign and Autism Awareness month. The Autism Society of Alabama will also sponsor its annual Walk for Autism, which will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Tuscaloosa Magnet School, 315 McFarland Blvd. E.Money raised during the walk will go toward the Autism Society of Alabama’s networking support groups, conferences and seminars, family camps and other services that improve the lives of autistic children and their families.“What is significant about the state of Alabama is that the average age of diagnosing kids with autism is 5 to 6 years old, when we are capable of diagnosing earlier,” said Kelly Dickey, the co-chair of the Tuscaloosa Walk and WODathon. “And the earlier we catch it, the earlier we can start intervention, which will result in better outcomes in terms of developmental milestones.”The Walk for Autism is the Autism Society of Alabama’s largest fundraising event and in hopes of an even larger turnout this year, the group has asked CrossFit Northridge to host a CrossFit competition, or a “WODathon” — a CrossFit acronym for Workout Of the Day — starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Dickey, who is a member of the CrossFit community, came up with the idea for the addition of the CrossFit WODathon.“My goal is to increase the number of participants in the event and in return raise more money for ASA and spreading awareness to have more people involved in the community,” Dickey said.The WODathon is advised only for people who have had at least three months of CrossFit training but others are encouraged to try, Dickey said.In 2012, Gov. Robert Bentley declared April as Autism Awareness Month in Alabama. Since then, autism awareness efforts have grown in popularity in Alabama, including the Autism Society of Alabama’s partnership with Autism Speaks’ Light It Up Blue campaign. The University of Alabama’s Panhellenic Association distributed blue bulbs and installation instructions to all the sororities and fraternities and encouraged them to participate, the association’s director of public relations Katherine Snyder said.Midtown Village, a shopping center on McFarland Boulevard, has changed its fountain lights to blue in honor of Autism Awareness Month. Arts ’n Autism, an after-school and two-week summer day camp program for autistic children in Tuscaloosa, is also selling blue bows as part of its “Bow Out for Autism” event. People can hang the blue bows on their doors or mailboxes to promote autism awareness. The bows cost $10 and the proceeds benefit Arts ’n Autism. According to autismspeaks.org, autism is the fastest-growing serious development disability in the U.S. A child born with autism will not show immediate signs but will show signs within the first three years, said Martha Cook, the director of the University of Alabama’s Rise School.“You are born a normal child and then you start developing backwards. That must be crushing for a parent, to never hear ‘mama’ or ‘dada,’ ” Cook said.It is imperative for a child who has been diagnosed with autism to be placed in proper schooling and support programs as early as possible to better the outcome of their adult lives, Cook said.To register for the walk and/or the CrossFit WODathon, go to www.walkforautismal.com, or go to www.northridgefitness.net and make a donation of $30, which will include your registration fee and an event T-shirt. The WODathon includes either an individual competition for a fee of $40, or a team competition of three persons for a fee of $110.Blue bows can be purchased for $10 to benefit Arts ’n Autism at Matt Clinton Designs on Paul W. Bryant Drive, online at www.artsnautism.org or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/artsnautism. The bows will be for sale through the end of April.

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